


A Mutually Beneficial Partnership

by perfect_plan



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-26 11:17:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3848938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfect_plan/pseuds/perfect_plan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers first meets James Barnes in a business conference and things kind of develop on from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Mutually Beneficial Partnership

The first time Steve Rogers meets Bucky Barnes is in a business meeting, although he doesn't know to call him Bucky at that point. Steve hasn't been with Stark Industries for too long but he enjoys it and Tony is impressed by him and seems to like the work he does. They get on each other's nerves and piss each other off but they make a good team and Steve is sure that they do actually like each other too even if they don't come out and say it.

"Okay, I _really_ want Red Room Associates on my side so if you could just sit there and look all big and pretty, that would be awesome. I'll do all the talking." Tony shuffles through his papers and chews on his pen.

"Fine by me," Steve says and goes to take care of the coffee while Pepper calls Happy to make sure he's on his way back from the airport with Natasha Romanov. He doesn't like sitting around in meetings and he gets the feeling that this will be a long one so any excuse to move around now is good. He can hear Tony clucking about in the meeting room and Pepper tells him to calm down while she goes down to reception.

Steve has just put the chrome coffee pot (the fancy one, for impressing clients) and the decent cups on the table when Pepper comes back in, talking and laughing easily with Natasha. A dark-haired guy in a very nice grey suit follows, carrying a briefcase and what looks to be a box of pastries. He catches Steve's eye and smiles in greeting.

"I maybe forgot to mention this but Nat and I went to college together," Pepper grins and Tony throws her a glare that Steve instantly translates as "Yes - you _maybe_ forgot to mention that on purpose and I might be having words with you about it later." Pepper just quirks a challenging eyebrow at him. This is a game they like to play.

What Tony actually says is, "Well, I'll be damned. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Ms Romanov." They shake hands and Tony steps back. "This is my associate, Steven Rogers."

"Good to meet you," says Natasha. Her handshake is firm and brisk. She turns to the side and the dark-haired guy steps forward. "My partner, James Barnes. He kind of does everything I do."

James nods as he shakes hands with Tony and smiles again when he shakes Steve's hand; it's as firm as Natasha's but far less brisk. "We bought sweet things to try and get into your good books."

Tony whisks the box out of James's hands, looks inside, makes an impressed noise and presents it to Steve. "And it's working. Steven, if you would."

Steve holds up the box. "When Tony says I'm his _associate_ , what he really means is _maid_."

Everyone laughs and Steve goes through to the small kitchen to find plates. When he comes back, Tony is pouring coffee for everyone while Pepper hands out the business proposal Steve spent a week working on.

When everyone is settled, Tony leans forward and flips open the proposal. "Okay, Shall we?"

***

The meeting is as long as Steve thought it would be and any other time, he'd be squirming in his seat by now but James is sitting across the table from him and he's finding it hard not to stare. James is handsome and has a lot of presence even if, like Steve, he doesn't have much to say in the meeting. Tony and Natasha are the key players - Pepper is there as mediator - and Steve and James are merely there as moral support. Steve lets himself look at James when everyone's attention is elsewhere. It might be unprofessional - not that anyone seems to have noticed - but he broke up with Sharon seven months ago and James is attractive and Steve is only human. James looks up at one point and catches him out. Steve just smiles quickly and looks down at his notes. But every time he glances up again, James is watching him with a small grin on his face.

After two hours, they break and Tony whisks Natasha off to show her around the office with Pepper in tow and James excuses himself to go to the bathroom. Steve collects the used cups to wash up in the kitchen and make some more coffee and refill the water pitcher, glad to be up and moving.

"You really should hire an assistant to do all of that crap for you," a voice behind Steve says. He turns and James is leaning in the kitchen doorway.

Steve shrugs. "I don't mind doing it. Unless my coffee is that terrible?"

"Coffee was great," James says. "Best I've had for a while."

Steve smiles. "Good." He starts to load the tray with the clean glasses and cups.

James steps towards him and reaches for the coffee pot. "Here, I'll give you a hand. You're making me feel bad - I never make the coffee for our clients." He follows Steve back through to the meeting room.

"Things are a little more unconventional around here," Steve says. "In a good way, I hope."

James grins and perches on the edge of the table, folding his arms. "I think that's what Natasha likes about you guys. I'm 95% sure that she wants to sign a contract."

Steve just nods and pours a cup of coffee for James. "I think it would be a good business relationship for everyone." When he looks up, James is smiling, his blue eyes fixed on Steve's.

"I agree. So, Steven - what does being Tony Stark's associate entail? Besides making a good cup of coffee, I mean."

Steve makes a cup for himself. He likes lots of cream in his. James takes his black. "The usual; making sure that Tony is fed and watered and that he doesn't run off to sniff stranger's butts too often."

Steve is suddenly worried that by trying to be funny he's maybe overstepped the mark but James throws his head back and laughs and it's not fake or just to be polite. "Wow, thanks for that mental image," he says, his shoulders shaking.

Steve grins and Tony and Natasha come back in.

"What's so funny?" Tony asks and Natasha is smiling at James, one eyebrow raised.

James just shakes his head and walks back around the table to sit in his chair. "Nothing. Shall we get back to it?" He glances up at Steve as he sits back down and smirks.

Steve smirks back.

 

***

An hour later and Tony and Natasha are shaking hands, Pepper beaming at Tony's side.

"Well, I don't think I need to sit on this one," Natasha says. "You obviously know your stuff here and I'd feel a hell of a lot better knowing that our contracts go through you first."

"Fabulous," says Tony. "I'll have our lawyer draw up all of the necessary paperwork and we can get this show on the road. Pep, can you get Matt on that ASAP?"

"Certainly," Pepper says and turns to Natasha. "Are you heading back to D.C now or are you in town for a few days?"

"Unfortunately we have to get back tonight. I wish we could have gone to dinner; it's been too long," Natasha says and they start to chat about what other people from their college class are doing now.

Steve collects his notes together and smiles, surprised, when James gathers the cups and glasses on the table and puts them on the tray. Steve grabs the empty coffee pot and water pitcher and follows him to the kitchen.

"So, maybe I'll see you again when I'm in New York next," James says. "I think we'll be flying down often."

Steve nods. "That would be good." He considers asking James out for dinner next time he's in town, just the two of them, but chickens out at the last minute.

James holds out his hand and Steve shakes it. "Good to meet you, Steven."

"Good to meet you, James," Steve replies and tries not to hold onto James's hand for too long.

***

When Natasha and James have left, Tony, Steve and Pepper all sit in Tony's office, tired but happy.

"Well, that went so much smoother than I thought it would," Tony says and then glares at Pepper. "But then given that you and Natasha are all _chummy_ , why wouldn't it?"

Pepper takes a calm sip of her champagne and gives Tony a little shrug. "I'm _sure_ I mentioned that we knew each other. Must be your memory."

Tony huffs. "Yep. My memory. Of course." He doesn't sound annoyed though. Pepper runs circles around him and he loves it. He stands up suddenly and heads to his office door. "I want dim sum. I'm getting dim sum for everyone. Where's Happy?" He leaves before Steve can ask for tom yum soup.

Pepper tops up Steve's glass. "Well done for today. Your proposal impressed everyone."

Steve shrugs. "I think my coffee impressed more."

Pepper smiles. "I noticed."

Steve takes a sip of his drink and asks, as nonchalantly as he can, "So James is Natasha's business partner? Not...partner partner."

"Business partner, yes." Pepper smoothes out her skirt. "He's single."

"Uh..."

Pepper just smiles.

***

The next time Steve meets Bucky is at a conference in Chicago four weeks later. The only contact he's had with James is through emails that they've both been cc'd into and that was just purely business. Steve makes several attempts to email James but he has no idea what to say and there are certain things that he's not very confident with so each email is started and scrapped.

Steve gets coerced into going to the conference to network and make business contacts because Tony can't seem to be able to talk to people for more than fifteen minutes without someone walking away angry. How he's made it as far as he has baffles Steve sometimes.

"Besides, you're tall and blond and send a good physical image of Stark Industries." Tony hands Steve his flight and hotel information. He'll be flying out on Thursday evening and spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the conference. Steve already resents losing his weekend.

"I want people to think I'm smart and capable, not pretty."

Tony grins and straightens Steve's tie. "Which you _are_. But you're also very pretty." Steve scowls and Tony sighs. "You're better with people than I am. You're approachable and likable and people gravitate towards you. You do all the people stuff better than me. Only that, though. I'm better at everything else."

"The hotel better be nice," Steve grumbles.

Tony grins. "I got you a good room."

***

The conference is dull but Steve attends all the talks he can on the Friday, takes notes and mingles and reports back to Tony with things he thinks are important. Whilst sitting through a talk about some new office software, Steve sees a guy with short brown hair about five rows ahead of him that could be James. Is it? It might not be. He stares for the entire talk, hoping that the guy will turn or do something but he doesn't, just spends the entire presentation writing on a notepad. When the talk ends, Steve hurries to the door and lingers outside, hoping to bump into James but if it was him, he either left before Steve or went out of a different door. Or maybe it wasn't even him. Steve heads to the bar feeling more disappointed than he thought he would.

He sees several people he knows in the hotel bar and makes polite conversation. He gets cornered by Justin Hammer, a business rival of Tony's who doesn't seem set on leaving him alone any time soon, talking his ear off about some new venture that sounds a lot like something Tony has already done. Steve is hungry and his stomach growls painfully and he's trying to figure out how to break away from Hammer without being rude when someone appears at his side. It's James.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he says to Hammer and then turns to Steve. "Steven Rogers? I'm James Barnes. I'm so sorry that I'm late for our meeting. I let the hotel restaurant know we're running behind and they're saving our table for us." His face is neutral but his eyes are bright and conspiratorial.

Steve gives Hammer an apologetic look. "It was great talking to you Justin but I have some business to take care of. I'll send your regards to Tony." He follows James as he walks away before Hammer can say anything else. When they're in the hotel lobby, Steve lets out a woof of air.

"Wow, thank you for that. I was sure I'd be stuck with him all evening."

James is grinning. "I _thought_ I saw you earlier. I've been trying to catch up with you all day."

Steve grins back. "Yeah, I thought I saw you earlier too. How are you?"

"Bored out of my skull. Nat's not much of a people person so I get lumbered doing all of the social stuff."

Steve laughs. "Yeah, me too. Tony's good at talking but more _at_ people than _to_ them."

James shifts his note folder under his arm. "So I really do have a table reserved in the restaurant. Care to join me?" His smile is warm and inviting and Steve doesn't have to think twice about the answer.

"I'd love to."

***

Steve hasn't clicked with anyone like this for a long time and he's trying not to get too excited. James has a confidence that attracts him; Steve was an awkward teen and only slightly less awkward in college and while he's confident in a lot of ways - with his work especially - he can still get a little shy around people he likes. But James's personality seems to be drawing something out in his own and he feels at ease and maybe a little more daring than he usually would be.

"Your name tag says Steve. Do you prefer that over Steven?" James asks as he takes a big gulp of his Long Island Iced Tea.

"Yeah. No-one calls me Steven unless it's a formal situation or I'm in trouble."

James laughs and it makes Steve feel like he just won the lottery. "What about you? Are you a Jim or a Jimmy?"

James instantly makes a face. "Oh god, neither! I'm..." He gives an embarrassed sigh. "I'm actually a Bucky, if you can believe that."

Steve raises his eyebrows. "Bucky?"

James - Bucky - holds up his hands in a hear-me-out manner. "My middle name is Buchanan. Just...don't ask. When I was a kid, I thought James was a pretty dull name and made everyone call me Bucky. By the time I realized that Bucky was going to be a lame-ass name for a grown man, it was already too late. I only ever get called James at work. I'm pretty sure if Nat ever introduced me as Bucky Barnes to clients, no-one would take me seriously."

Steve just nods. "Okay. So, do _I_ call you Bucky?"

"Only if you want to. I prefer it. The people I like call me Bucky." He takes another mouthful of his drink, his eyes still fixed on Steve. "People who like me call me Bucky."

"Alright, Bucky." Steve picks up his menu and scans the specials, making a show of concentrating on the options. "What looks good to you?"

Bucky bites back a smile and reads his own menu. "You really want me to answer that?"

***

They get kind of drunk and end up talking for most of the night, finally getting kicked out of the restaurant at 12am and they make their way back to the bar, giggling and red cheeked.

Steve grabs Bucky and holds his arm before he walks through the door. "Wait wait wait. What if Justin Hammer is in there? He might jump me and make me listen to his awesome ideas which aren't really all that awesome."

Bucky leans in close to Steve. "I'll scout ahead and check it out. Wait here," he says in an exaggerated whisper.

Steve giggles and hides behind the door of the bar as Bucky straightens himself up and walks in, trying not to sway too much. Steve waits and a minute later, Bucky pokes his head back through the door.

"All clear."

They sit at the bar and decide that this drink will be the last one. Steve feels good; he's not completely drunk, but enough that he feels floaty and happy. He catches Bucky staring at him, smiling.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing. Just really glad I ran into you."

Steve bites his lip and stares down at his hands. "Me too."

Bucky swirls his whiskey about in his glass, watching it intently. "I've got a couple of meetings tomorrow morning but I'll be free from 12pm. Want to go to some presentations together?"

Steve likes how Bucky is trying not to make a big thing about asking which makes him feel like it's a big thing. "Sure. If we're going to be bored out of our skulls, we may as well be bored together, right?"

Bucky smiles softly and nods. "Great."

They finish up their drinks and head to the elevators. Steve's room is on the fifth floor, Bucky is on the seventh. When Steve steps out, he turns back and gives Bucky a little wave.

"I'll meet you in the lobby at 12?"

The door starts to slide shut but not before Bucky grins. "I'll be there."

***

Steve doesn't see Bucky at breakfast and assumes he's already at one of his meetings. Tony tried to set Steve up with a few potential business possibilities but Steve refused; he's not quite ready to handle clients by himself. He attends a presentation on corporate finance and it's as exciting as he thought it would be and doesn't teach him anything new. He spends most of the talk looking at his watch tick it's way towards 12pm.

Steve heads to the lobby afterwards, feeling like he's going on a date which this very much isn't but his stomach still flutters as though it is. He smoothes his hair down and straightens his jacket but then sees Justin Hammer walking out of a meeting room a few metres ahead. His first instinct is to duck behind the huge potted plant to his right, a leafy frond poking him in the eye.

"That's a good look for you. I think it's called Foliage Chic," an amused voice to his left says.

"Justin Hammer is over there," Steve says turning to face Bucky while staying close to the plant.

Bucky cranes his head to look. "Well, he's gone now and you just look like you're trying to get intimate with a shrub."

Steve steps away from the plant. "I was hiding."

"I don't want to interrupt. You looked like you were getting close to second base."

Steve finally laughs and shakes his head. "Will you shut the fuck up?"

Bucky's eyes widen comically. "That's not very professional."

"Where are we going?" Steve asks, already enjoying himself.

Bucky looks down at the schedule in his hand. "How about "Media, Marketing and Management?" They have sandwiches in that one."

"Sold," Steve says and they head off together.

***

The talk itself isn't all that interesting but Bucky's running commentary of the other participants he knows at the conference is. They're sitting at the back of the hall, huddled together like a couple of kids.

"You see that big blond guy over there?" Bucky says, leaning close to Steve and talking quietly. He smells like coconut. "Guess what his name is."

Steve shrugs. "I have no idea."

"Thor," Bucky says with a grin.

"Yeah right," Steve says back, unsure if Bucky is pulling his leg or not.

"I swear it is. I met him last year in Texas and he's Norwegian and his name is honestly Thor."

Steve stifles a snigger. "Poor guy."

"That's nothing. His brother's name is Loki."

"Oh, come on now. You're shitting me."

Bucky shakes his head holds up one hand. "Scouts honour. Thor and Loki _Odinson_. Their parents must have either been total hippies or complete and utter dicks."

Steve snorts loudly and unintentionally and Bucky tries to cover it up with a series of coughs. Several people in the row in front of them turn around and glower. Steve has to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop from laughing and he's very aware of how childish this all is, not to mention unprofessional but he can't help it. He takes a few deep breaths and makes the mistake of looking at Bucky which sets him off again. He quickly gets up from his seat and heads for the door, barely making it out into the corridor before he bursts out laughing.

Bucky stumbles out after him, laughing himself and clutching his stomach. "Seriously, Rogers? It wasn't even all that funny!"

Steve wipes his eyes. "Then why are _you_ laughing?"

"I'm laughing at _you_ laughing!" And they both crumple into hysterics.

"Oh god," Steve gasps. "Why is it worse when you're in a situation where you know you absolutely shouldn't be laughing?"

"My sister accidentally farted in church once and I thought I was going to die," Bucky says which just sets Steve off again.

After a couple of minutes, they finally calm down and look resentfully at the door to the conference room.

"Hey, wanna hit the gym or something? I really don't think I can handle any more of this." Bucky shakes the conference schedule.

Steve considers and then nods. "Sure. I bet I can last longer on the running machine than you."

Bucky chuffs out an incredulous laugh. "Oh, is this a thing we're doing now?"

"Well, if you think you can't keep up..."

Bucky is already walking briskly towards the elevator. "I'll meet you in fifteen minutes. Ain't no big blond asshole gonna sass me like that." He makes it to the elevator and steps in, pushing the button and waving at Steve as the door closes on him before he can reach it.

***

Steve gets changed into his gym clothes up in his room and he feels _giddy_. Giddy in a way that he hasn't felt since he was a teenager at least. He thinks that he should be taking this conference a little more seriously but he knows that Tony won't really read the notes he takes or the paperwork he brings back because Tony always wants to do his own thing anyway and it seems to work out pretty well for him. For now, Steve is excited because he likes Bucky and he's having a good time. A _really_ good time. He grabs his towel and his room keycard and heads downstairs.

Bucky is waiting outside the gym for him wearing a black t-shirt and shorts, his own towel flung over his left shoulder. He looks at his blank wrist as though there is a watch on it.

"Took you long enough."

Steve narrows his eyes. "Ha ha. Ready to get thrashed, Barnes?"

"Bring it, Rogers."

As Bucky pushes open the door, his towel slips and he catches it before it hits the floor. Steve's eyes are drawn to Bucky's left arm and the scarring on it. It's heavy, the skin gnarled and uneven and is covering pretty much every inch of his arm that is exposed. Bucky isn't hiding it in any way though and it didn't seem like he was with his towel so Steve doesn't look anymore. It doesn't bother him but he wonders how it happened and if anything, hopes it isn't painful in any way.

Bucky leads him over to a space by the wall and starts on some stretches. He eyes Steve as he does the same.

"You work out a lot?" he asks.

Steve nods. "I run every other day and go to the gym most mornings. You?"

"I do some mixed martial arts, swim when I can." He nods at Steve's arms. "Don't think I could ever get guns like those, though." He smiles when Steve turns slightly pink and doesn't know what to say back. "Come on."

They find two running machines and squabble over the settings for a moment before getting ready.

"You can still walk away from this and I wouldn't think any less of you," Steve says, his finger hovering over the control panel on his own machine as he quirks a sarcastic eyebrow at Bucky.

Bucky gives him the finger. "Just say when."

Forty-five minutes later, Bucky staggers off of his running machine and admits defeat. Steve tries not to make a big thing out of winning but does anyway.

***

They go back to their respective rooms to shower and arrange to meet up for dinner again in a couple of hours. Steve washes his hair and shaves and is glad that he bought his favorite shirt with him. He's flipping idly through the TV channels when his cell phone rings.

"How's the conference?" Pepper asks.

"Kind of dull. I got accosted by Justin Hammer yesterday."

Pepper makes a yakking noise. "Oh god, that guy is the worst. I hope you didn't speak to him for too long."

Steve swings his legs up on the bed. "I managed to get away. He thinks he's got one up on Tony but he's about five steps behind."

Pepper laughs. "He's always been that way, even when they went to college together. Oh, I spoke to Natasha yesterday. She said that James would be at the conference too. Have you seen him?"

Steve instantly knows that this is the reason Pepper called him. "We bumped into each other."

"That's good," she says and Steve can hear the smile in her voice. "Well, I won't keep you, Steve. Enjoy the rest of your weekend."

"I'm sure I will," Steve says evenly and hangs up, shaking his head.

***

They're seated at the same table in the hotel restaurant and conversation with Bucky is easy; Steve feels like he's known him for years. They talk about work and movies, favorite books and relationships and Steve pushes away the pang of sadness that the weekend will eventually be over and he'll be back in New York and Bucky will be back in Washington D.C. He tries not to think about it and focuses on Bucky's eyes and how much he enjoys looking at them.

"I've read Fellowship of the Ring at least twenty times," Bucky says, holding up his last forkful of steak. "Don't get me wrong, I like The Two Towers and Return of the King but Fellowship just has all the bits I love the most."

Steve nods and pours himself some more wine, finished with his food. "That one was always my favorite too. Although I really like the whole Dead Marshes part in Two Towers."

Bucky makes an excited noise around his mouthful of food before putting his fork down and pushing his plate away. "Oh my god, that bit scared the crap out of me as a kid. The thought of all those dead soldiers in the water?" He shudders and Steve laughs.

"My ex somehow managed to make off with my copies of the books," Steve says as the waiter takes away their plates.

Bucky leans on the table and tops up his own glass of wine. "Steve, that is a _crime_."

"I know, I know. I really should buy them for myself again."

"When's your birthday?" Bucky asks.

Steve squints at him. "Why?"

Bucky just shrugs and looks innocent. "No reason. So when is it?"

Steve sits back in his chair and taps on his glass. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Bucky gives him an odd look. "Okay?"

"Fourth of July."

Everyone laughs when Steve tells them his birthday; he thinks his blond hair and blue eyes coupled with being born on the most patriotic of days must make people think he's the All American Boy or something. Bucky's mouth twitches and his eyes widen slightly but he keeps a straight face. "Okay."

Steve keeps his own face as straight as he can. "Tony calls me Captain America."

The laugh bursts from Bucky in a combination snort and bark and he almost knocks over his wine glass. "That's amazing," he says, snickering loudly.

"Yeah, laugh it up, " Steve says but he grins around his drink. "Now you know when my birthday is."

"I do, I do," Bucky says and nods.

"Any reason you wanted to know?"

Bucky scrunches his mouth up and shakes his head. "Nope. No reason at all."

***

They end up sitting at the hotel bar after dinner, talking and watching the bartender make cocktails, never missing a beat as he throws around the shaker. They're both a little tipsy but not as drunk as they were the previous night.

Bucky turns on his stool, facing Steve slightly. "You know, I think this is the best business conference I've ever been to."

Steve nods. "Me too. That talk on revenue synergy really got me worked up."

Bucky laughs softly but his eyes never leave Steve's. "But really though. If I thought that you'd be at every one of these, I'd make more of an effort to attend them." He smiles at Steve but the longer he stares at him, his face slips from looking amused to something else and Steve knows that he's looking at Bucky the same way.

Steve swallows but doesn't break his gaze. "Yeah?" He doesn't realize how close they are until their legs are touching and he's suddenly very aware of the charged air between them; they're attracted to each other, that much is very clear. Steve has never been one to treat sex casually - he's an all or nothing kind of guy - but part of him wonders if he'd consider it if Bucky wants to sleep with him. His heart starts to beat faster and he's not sure what to do. He doesn't want to say something and have read the situation all wrong but then he's not sure that he wants all of this - whatever _this_ is - to just be sex and nothing else.

"Yeah. I mean, I know we technically work with each other now but..." Bucky trails off and he licks his lips and looks down at his drink. Their legs are still touching and Steve wants Bucky to finish what he was going to say. They sit in silence for a few moments.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?" Bucky finally asks, his voice subdued.

"3:15pm. I'll be leaving for the airport at around 1pm. How about you?"

"Not until 6:30pm."

Steve takes a breath. "Bucky..."

"Yeah Steve?" Bucky's voice is low and husky and Steve is so turned on it isn't funny.

He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket and takes out a couple of tens, whatever courage he had felt fading quickly. "I'll get this," he says and stands up.

Bucky downs the last of his drink and Steve can't tell what he's thinking. "Thanks," he says.

They head towards the bank of elevators and call one down, not speaking as they get in and it heads up to Steve's floor. Steve turns to Bucky as he exits the elevator, not sure if he intends to say anything or not. He settles for raising a hand in farewell and starts to walk away down the hall as he hears the doors close.

"Steve, wait," Bucky calls and Steve trots back.

Bucky is holding the elevator door open and seems to be desperately trying to figure out what he wants to say.

 _Ask me and I'll say yes_ , Steve thinks.

"Can I meet you for breakfast tomorrow?" Bucky asks and disappointment and relief wash over Steve all at once.

"Sure," he says and smiles. "See you in the lobby at 8am?"

Bucky smiles back and it's warm and a little sad. "Sounds good. Goodnight, Steve."

"Goodnight, Bucky," Steve says and watches him until the elevator door closes.

Steve brushes his teeth and gets into bed and as he jerks off, wonders if Bucky is doing the same two floors above him.

***

Steve takes his suitcase down to the lobby with him that morning to check out. He hands over his room keycard and his bags get put away, ready for him to pick up when he leaves. He heads to the breakfast room and Bucky is waiting outside, looking at some framed photographs on the wall. Steve slows and just stares for a moment; Bucky is funny and handsome and amazing and Steve wonders if he's making a big mistake by not just going for it. But he knows deep down that he would want something more with Bucky. He lets himself feel miserable for a few seconds longer before smiling and picking up his stride.

"Good morning," he says and Bucky turns to him and smiles back.

"Hey. I hope you're ready for excitement because there's a presentation on - I kid you not - _business fonts_." Bucky makes jazz hands as he says it.

Steve cracks up and they head into the breakfast room to find a table. Things seem like they're back to normal, if not a little more solemn, and they talk easily again and if Bucky is thinking about the sexual tension from last night, he doesn't show it.

They attend the talk on business fonts and it actually turns out to be more interesting than they thought.

"Well, that was the biggest surprise of the whole weekend," Bucky says when they leave the room.

Steve chuckles. "Yeah." He indicates to the lobby. "I have to get going."

Bucky shoves his hands in his trouser pockets. "Want some company while you wait for a cab?"

"That would be nice."

Steve collects his bags and they wait in the cab rank outside. He has no idea when he'll see Bucky again.

"I...had a really great time this weekend," Steve says quietly and the implication of what could have happened between them is obvious in the way they're both looking at each other.

Bucky chews on his lip and holds out his hand. "Me too."

Steve takes it and they shake, nothing more in the touch than professionalism. Steve is next in line and he can see a taxi pulling up.

"I guess I'll see you next time you're in New York."

Bucky nods. "I look forward to it."

Steve spends the rest of his journey back home with a longing ache in his chest that definitely wasn't there before this trip.

***

"So, how was the conference?" Pepper asks, leaning on Steve's desk as he goes through all of his emails on Monday morning.

He doesn't look up at her. "It was okay. Some interesting presentations but nothing earth shattering."

"Did you see much of James?"

Steve shuffles through a stack of papers on his desk just to give his hands something to do. "We met up for dinner."

Pepper shifts and Steve can tell she's getting impatient with him which is exactly why he isn't giving her what she wants. "Steve - "

"What time is Tony's meeting with Aldrich Killian? I need to go and see Matt about a couple of contracts and I don't want to be late."

Pepper huffs and stands up. "He's getting here after lunch." She heads off but stops at his door and looks back at him with a smirk. "I need to email Natasha about a few things. Any messages you want me to pass on?"

Steve absolutely isn't going to rise to the bait. "Nope."

***

Over the next few days, Steve receives a few emails from Bucky but they're purely professional in nature; he didn't realize how much they'd actually be liaising and he isn't sure whether to ask him anything personal. He desperately wants to say something but he doesn't want to make things awkward. He's a little hurt that Bucky hasn't said anything but then he thinks he might be feeling exactly the same as Steve - how exactly do you write a paragraph about shared spreadsheets and then finish it with "Oh by the way, I think you're amazing and hot and I want to see you again as soon as possible?" He didn't think to ask Bucky for his number in Chicago; he _has_ Bucky's number - it's on his email signature - but it would seem weird and maybe a little creepy if he just called him now. He can tell that Pepper is itching to say something but he doesn't give her a chance and takes to quietly sulking the whole time instead.

***

A couple of days later, he walks into the office first thing to find Pepper and Tony cooing over a huge gift basket filled with bottles of wine, flowers and food.

"What's all this?" Steve asks as he puts down his briefcase and eyes a packet of peanut brittle.

Tony makes a triumphant noise and holds up a small box of liquor truffles. "Red Room sent it to us a thank you. I like them a _lot_." He starts to root around deeper in the basket.

Steve picks up the card sitting next to the basket and reads it, wondering why they decided to send the basket now. _Here's to a mutually beneficial partnership. Kind regards, Natasha Romanov & James Barnes._

"Very nice," Steve says, his eyes lingering on Bucky's name.

Tony holds up a bottle of Cristal. "Ooh, who wants some of this?"

"Tony, it's 8:30am!" Pepper frowns at him.

"Pfft, it's a special occasion. We can have a tipple. To celebrate."

Pepper tries to snatch the bottle off of him but Tony twists away and heads to the kitchen. "We already celebrated," she calls after him but Tony is already pretending not to hear her.

"Can I have this?" Steve asks holding up the peanut brittle.

"Of course you can. Oh, something else came with the basket just for you." Pepper produces a package tastefully wrapped in tissue paper with a card attached. "I hid it from Tony so he didn't open it himself and start to ask questions." She's smiling knowingly at him and Steve takes the package from her, his stomach flipping.

"Thanks," he says and hurries to his office to open the package in private. He starts with the card, written in the same handwriting as the one on the gift basket.

_I know it's not your birthday but I couldn't stand the thought of you not having these. Bucky._

Steve tears open the gift wrap and it's the three Lord of the Rings books in a slipcase. He grins to himself and reads the card again, feeling happier than he has since getting back from Chicago. He boots up his laptop and immediately starts to write an email.

_____

To: James.Barnes@RRA.com

From: Steven.Rogers@StarkIndustries.com

Thank you for the books. It was really sweet.

Steve

_____

He hesitates before hitting send, reconsidering his use of the word sweet but thinks fuck it, and hits send anyway. He grabs a stack of files from the pile on his desk and starts to sift through, looking for something interesting to work on and distract himself from whether or not Bucky will answer his email. He gets a reply fifteen minutes later, practically leaping at his laptop to open it.

_____

To: Steven.Rogers@StarkIndustries.com

From: James.Barnes@RRA.com

I couldn't wait until the 4th of July to get them for you :)

I'm in NY next week for a couple of days on business. Can I take you out to dinner?

Bucky

_____

Steve grins and doesn't care that he answers Bucky's email within a minute.

***

The next week crawls by; Steve and Bucky exchange emails and there's some level of flirting to them now underneath the need to be professional and Steve is nervous and excited and can't wait to see Bucky again.

He's in the kitchen making himself a coffee when Pepper walks in, rubbing her neck and groaning. "Can I make you a cup?" he offers.

"Please. Tony is driving me crazy today. Being married to him _and_ working with him can be utterly exhausting sometimes."

Steve smiles. "You handle it very well." He adds three sugars to her coffee and hands it to her.

She hums in gratitude as she takes a sip. "You seem to have perked up some in the last few days."

Steve leans against the counter with his own mug of coffee. "Bucky is going to be in town for a couple of days. He does some consulting at Oscorp and...we're going out for dinner."

"Oh, I know," Pepper says and laughs at Steve's surprised expression. "Natasha and I don't just talk shop, you know. Apparently he's being just as cagey about all of this as you are."

Steve sighs and rolls his eyes. "I know. I just didn't want to make a big thing. I...I really like him."

Pepper's face softens. "From what I hear, he really likes you too." She laughs when Steve blushes. "You're too cute, Steve."

"Shut up," Steve replies with a little grin.

***

Bucky is getting into town late on Wednesday night and they arrange to meet up on Thursday evening. Steve knows a good restaurant not far from the hotel that Bucky is staying at - not too classy but nice - and books a table. He heads to Pepper's office on Thursday afternoon with some paperwork, light-headed after receiving an email from Bucky that's all business but which very much translates as _I can't wait to see you._

"Come on in," Pepper says when Steve knocks.

He holds up the papers. "Here's the proposal for the Triskelion account; could you proof read it for me before I get them printed up and all fancy looking?"

Pepper takes the papers. "Of course. I'll do it now." She picks up her red pen and starts to read the first page. "So, when's the big date?" she asks before Steve has a chance to leave.

He turns around and shyly puts his hands in his pockets. "Tonight."

Pepper nods, eyes still on the report in front of her. "What time?"

"Um, seven-thirty."

She glances at her watch. "It's five now. Why don't you head off early?"

"Who's heading off early and why?" Tony barges into the office with a couple of boxes from the archives and dumps them unceremoniously on Pepper's desk, sending pens and a mug crashing to the floor.

"Tony!" Pepper cries.

"Why are you leaving early, Rogers?" he asks and Steve throws a look to Pepper.

He's not worried what Tony will think about him leaving early to get ready for a date, he just knows that Tony will tease him endlessly when he finds out _who_ Steve is meeting for his date. Not because Bucky is a man but just because Tony doesn't need much incentive to rib Steve about anything. He'll also figure out that they met each other at the conference and Steve will be suffering through innuendos for weeks to come.

"Steve had a chance to move a doctor's appointment up to an earlier time so I said it would be fine to go," Pepper says and Steve silently thanks her.

"I thought I was the boss around here? Why do you need to see a doctor, anyway? You look perfectly fine to me. I forbid it. You can't go."

"Bye Steve," Pepper says.

Steve smiles. "See you tomorrow."

"You can't go! I forbid it!" Tony calls after him. "I'm the boss. Why does no-one listen to me?"

"Where to begin," Steve hears Pepper mutter as he grabs his jacket and briefcase and heads home.

***

As excited as he has been, Steve is a nervous mess by the time he gets to the restaurant. He changes his outfit four times before settling on a pair of dark jeans, a blue plaid shirt and his dad's old leather jacket. Sharon used to tell him that the jacket gave him a "classic look", which Steve had liked and felt oddly proud of.

He pulls his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and glances at the time. He takes a step backwards to avoid a skateboarder riding on the sidewalk in front of him and collides with one of the tall potted plants by the restaurant's door. He rights it, shifting the pot to back to it's original position, slightly flustered.

"Now, how am I supposed to feel about this? We have a date and you're still trying to make out with any nearby foliage."

Steve groans and turns around. Bucky is standing and watching him, a huge shit-eating grin on his face. He looks great in just a black shirt and jeans and he folds his arms, shifting his weight to one leg.

Steve puts his arm around the plant. "What can I say? I have a thing for..." he looks at the plant. "I have no idea what kind of tree this is."

Bucky laughs warmly and steps forward, his hand outstretched. "Good to see you, Steve."

Steve shakes and the hold lasts a beat longer than it really should. Neither of them seem to care.

They get shown to their table and order, both of them going for steak again and their feet keep touching underneath the table. It isn't a deliberate move on Steve's part and he doesn't think Bucky is doing it intentionally either but again, neither of them seem bothered. If things felt a little odd and strained on the day Steve left Chicago, they don't now. Steve tries not to think too far ahead and what the evening may lead to.

"I'm glad you liked my gift," Bucky says. "I had this whole thing planned where I was going to get you the books for your birthday with a mess of red, white and blue balloons but I couldn't wait two more months."

"Balloons? Really?" Steve asks with a grin.

Bucky chuckles. "Yep. I was going to get you a t-shirt made up too with Captain America printed across the front."

Steve laughs loudly. "And I thought you liked me."

Bucky meets Steve's eyes. "You're okay, I guess."

Their food arrives and they eat and talk, laughing about the conference and how Justin Hammer somehow got Bucky's card and has been emailing him every day, desperate for a meeting.

"The guy will _not_ give up. I've been polite so far but I'm about ready to sic Nat on him."

They're given dessert menus and Bucky scans it. "What looks good for dessert in this place?"

Steve smirks. "You really want me to answer that?"

Bucky looks up from his menu, eyes wide with surprise, clearly having been caught out by his own joke, and his face turns pink which just makes Steve laugh.

Bucky laughs softly himself and looks back down. "Okay, then."

They both order tiramisu - Steve's favorite - and Bucky rolls his shirt sleeves to his forearms. Steve notices the heavy scarring again on his left arm but doesn't ask. It's not his place to bring it up and if Bucky wants to talk about it, he will.

"I'll get this," Bucky says when the check comes and waves Steve off when he tries to protest. "I asked you out, remember? I pay."

Steve sits back. "I guess I'll get it next time."

"You planning on asking me out on another date already?"

"Maybe," Steve says. He definitely doesn't want _this_ date to end so soon.

They step outside and Bucky rocks back on his heels. "Want to get a few drinks at my hotel? It's expensive but Nat said I could charge it to the company expenses account."

"Sounds good," Steve says and they start to walk.

"I like your jacket. Very old school," Bucky says and brushes his hand down Steve's arm, feeling the soft leather.

Steve tingles at the touch even though Bucky hasn't even made contact with his skin. "Thanks. It was my dad's."

Bucky puts his hands in his pockets. "He died?" he asks softly.

"Six years ago. Cancer."

"Sorry Steve," Bucky says quietly.

Steve gives him a sad smile. "It's okay."

They talk about family on the way to the hotel - Bucky has a sister but no other immediate family and sees her as often as he can. She lives in Connecticut.

They reach the hotel and Steve holds the door open for Bucky.

"You're kidding right?" Bucky says, giggling.

"What?" Steve asks. "Can't a guy just be polite?"

"You're too good to be true." Bucky steps through the door, brushing against Steve and they find a table in the bar near the back once they have their drinks.

Bucky stands up. "Just wait a sec..." He moves a vase of lilies away from the table next to Steve. "I don't trust you with these."

Steve punches him lightly on the arm. "Jerk."

"Hey, you're the one with a thing for plants."

Steve plays with the slice of lime in his drink. "Did you get all of your work done at Oscorp?"

"Yep. My flight isn't until 7pm tomorrow though. Thought I'd do some sightseeing."

"You should have said. I could have tried to get the day off to show you around. There's a lot more to see here than the usual tourist stuff."

Bucky hums and plays with his glass. "I guess. There was only one thing I really came here to see though."

Steve feels warm. "The Statue of Liberty?"

Bucky shakes his head. "Nah."

"The Empire State Building."

Bucky is trying to hold back a smile. "Nope."

Steve clicks his fingers. "The firehouse from Ghostbusters."

Bucky finally breaks and laughs. "Okay, _that_ is tempting. But...no."

Steve puts his drink down and shrugs in exaggeration. "Then I have no idea what - "

He's cut off as Bucky grabs him by his jacket collar and pulls him in, kissing him softly, his other hand resting on Steve's jaw. Steve's head swims and he doesn't know what to do with his hands but he's too distracted by how good the kiss is to care. Even though he was hoping this would happen, he still feels overwhelmed.

Bucky pulls away and smiles, slightly out of breath. "I really wish I'd done that in Chicago."

Steve nods and grips Bucky arm. "Me too." He leans in again for another kiss, this one less soft than before. He can taste coffee and cocoa on Bucky's lips from dessert.

When they pull away again, Bucky is flushed. "Will you come up to my room?" he asks and Steve doesn't hesitate in nodding, not quite able to speak.

Bucky stands up and heads out of the bar with Steve close behind. There's a large group of German tourists by the elevators and Bucky grabs Steve by the hand and drags him to the stairwell.

"I'm on the second floor," he says and they both race up the stairs.

Bucky fishes his keycard out of his back pocket when they get to his room and swipes it, grabbing Steve by the front of his shirt and pulling him through the door. It only just clicks shut behind him when Bucky pushes him up against it and kisses him hard. Steve wraps his arms around Bucky and makes an embarrassing moan, louder than he means to and Bucky pulls away and laughs, kissing Steve's jaw and neck.

"Definitely have to get you to make that noise some more," he says, his teeth biting Steve's skin gently.

Steve huffs out a laugh and cups Bucky's face, bringing him back up to face him. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Bucky smiles and slowly takes off Steve's jacket, placing it carefully on the table next to them. Steve is touched by how considerate Bucky is with it and leans back against the door when Bucky moves up against him again.

"You're gorgeous," Bucky whispers to Steve and kisses the corner of his mouth. "And I mean that in every sense, not just how you look." His breath is hot on Steve's skin.

"Thank you," Steve says and Bucky chuckles, breathy and soft.

They kiss again, slow and deep, both enjoying how it feels to be pressed so close. Bucky's hands slowly run down Steve's sides and he hooks his fingers in the waistband of Steve's jeans, his fingers gently moving to unbutton them.

"Bucky, wait...stop a sec..." Steve huffs out and Bucky immediately steps back and holds his hands up. Steve almost laughs at the look of intense worry on Bucky's face but can't bring himself to, feeling like a dick for making Bucky think he did something wrong.

Steve reaches out for Bucky's hands and pulls him back in. "No, no...it's not...you didn't..." he kisses Bucky's fingers. "I just...I can't do casual. I can't do this and it not...go anywhere. I want this, I _really_ do but...I want..." He swallows and tries to articulate his thoughts.

"You want something more?" Bucky says softly, his hands still in Steve's.

Steve nods, fully prepared for a polite rejection but not trusting how he might react when it comes.

"Me too."

Steve searches Bucky's eyes and there's nothing there but sincerity. "Really?"

Bucky nods and comes close again, looping his arms around Steve's neck and bringing his face inches from Steve's. "We can sleep together or not sleep together - I definitely want to do _something_ with you, I can tell you that much - but I want more from this too. I know we haven't known each other long and we live far apart but...I don't know. There's something inside me that's telling me that I shouldn't let you go. I can't stop thinking about you and wanting to hold you and make you laugh and buy you all kinds of red, white and blue crap for your birthday...is that all really cheesy?"

"It's a little cheesy," Steve says and giggles when Bucky jabs him in the ribs. "But I like it. And I feel the same way. I was a goner as soon as you walked into our meeting room that day."

Bucky laughs softly. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting the hottest guy I'd ever seen in my life to be making coffee and serving pastries for me, that's for sure."

"Good coffee," Steve adds.

" _Great_ coffee," Bucky corrects and they both dissolve into a fit of laughter.

Bucky gathers himself and moves his hands to Steve's waistband again. "Can I continue with this now or are we going to stand here all night like a couple of dorks?"

Steve leans in and kisses Bucky again. "As long as _all night_ is an option, I don't care."

***

Steve shifts on the bed and Bucky snuggles close and rests his head on Steve's chest, kicking his jeans and boxers to the floor where they'd been pulled off earlier. His shirt is over by the TV somewhere along with all of Steve's clothes. He yanks the sheets up around them both and groans.

"It's really late," he murmurs and snakes his arm across Steve's middle.

Steve manages a tired laugh. "You were the one who insisted on round two so that's _entirely_ your fault."

Bucky grins. "I didn't hear you complaining. You were making all kinds of interesting noises but none of them sounded like you wanted me to stop what I was doing."

"Okay, okay. Fine. Both our faults." Steve starts to run his fingers lazily up and down Bucky's arm, not realizing for a couple of minutes that's it's his left. He falters slightly when he notices and Bucky picks up on it because he raises his head to look at Steve.

"You can ask me about it, you know."

Steve continues to stroke Bucky's arm, letting his fingers gently trace the scar tissue. "What happened?"

"Couple of guys I hung around with in high school had some matches and were lighting all kinds of shit behind the cafeteria in the garbage bins. There was an aerosol can buried under some of the stuff they set alight and it exploded and I was in the way. My arm caught on fire. I was lucky it didn't spread any further but by then, the damage had been done."

Steve kisses Bucky's forearm. "I'm sorry."

Bucky sighs. "I shouldn't have been there. I was cutting class and I knew what they were doing was stupid but I watched anyway. I didn't join in but I didn't stop them."

"Not really your fault though," Steve says and threads his fingers through Bucky's.

"I know. It doesn't bother me so much these days. I see people staring sometimes but I don't care. I'm happy with who I am."

Steve peppers kisses along Bucky's arm, trying to cover every inch of scarred skin. "I'm very happy with who you are."

Bucky laughs softly and leans up to kiss Steve. "That's because you're amazing. My ex tried to get me to have plastic surgery."

"What? Really?"

Bucky nods. "Yeah, he was a dick. He was really insistent about it, always trying to make it sound as though it would be better for me and make me feel more confident but he was the one who had a problem with it. I was plenty confident. Needless to say the relationship didn't last long after that."

"Kind of glad otherwise I wouldn't be here right now," Steve says and strokes a hand through Bucky's hair, making him smile and lean into the touch with a contented hum.

Bucky closes his eyes. "I'm beat," he says drowsily. "You have work in the morning."

Steve hesitates before speaking again. "I...should I go home now?"

Bucky reaches over and turns off the light. He shuffles close to Steve again and winds an arm around his waist, pressing his face into Steve's neck and rubbing his foot against Steve's. "You can stay if you want."

Steve laughs, relieved, and hugs himself closer to Bucky, kissing the top of his head and settling next to the firm, warm body beside him. "Okay, I'll stay."

Bucky shifts in the darkness and Steve feels soft lips with a grin on them press against his. "Good."

***

Steve calls in sick the next day, trying his best to sound like he has a cold coming on and feeling all kinds of guilty for faking but Pepper just tells him to get plenty of rest and hopes he feels better enough to come back in on Monday.

"Thanks Pepper," he says.

"No problem, Steve. Oh, and say hi to Bucky for me." He can hear the smugness in her voice and just before she hangs up, hears Tony asking "Who the hell is Bucky?"

Bucky laughs as he hears the entire exchange and kisses Steve, crawling on top of him. "What say we have a sexy shower and then you take me sightseeing?"

Steve smiles up at him. "Sounds good to me."

They eventually get some breakfast and then go out, both of them not wanting to think about Bucky heading back later that day. Bucky insists that Steve take him to see the Ghostbusters firehouse.

"This is so much cooler than I thought it would be," Bucky exclaims and gets Steve to take a ton of photos of him standing outside.

They get lunch in the East Village and Steve nonchalantly says, "You know...if you wanted to change your flight, you could stay until Sunday and spend the weekend at my place?"

Bucky leans across the table they're sitting at and kisses Steve softly. "I wish I could but my sister is flying down from Connecticut tomorrow morning."

Steve nods. "Ah."

"I would stay in a heartbeat, believe me. I...could come up next weekend? If you weren't doing anything..."

Steve smiles and takes Bucky's hand. "I'll make sure I'm not."

The time passes too quickly and before they know it, Bucky has to get to the airport.

"I'll come with you," Steve says.

"If it's out of your way I don't want to drag you along," Bucky sounds light but Steve can tell he wants him to come.

"I live in Brooklyn; JFK isn't too far out of my way."

Bucky smiles and takes Steve's hand.

They stand in the terminal when they get to JFK and Bucky scans the board for his flight. He turns to Steve, putting his bag down.

"I had the best time," he says quietly and Steve wishes more than anything that he was staying.

"I did too," Steve replies, moving close. "I'll miss you." He pulls Bucky in and they kiss and there's something a little more desperate about it this time.

"I'll see you next week?" Bucky says and he reluctantly steps away and picks up his bag.

"You'd better," Steve says with a grin and Bucky gives him a little wave before heading towards security. He turns one last time and looks at Steve before disappearing out of sight.

***

As predicted. Tony teases Steve any chance he can get about the whole Bucky thing over the next few days but Steve is too happy to care. Pepper eventually gets fed up of it though and sets up a jar that Tony has to pay five dollars into any time he makes a lewd comment or double entendre. The jar fills up quickly.

Bucky flies up from D.C the next weekend and they barely leave Steve's apartment. They barely even manage to put on any clothes for the whole weekend, happy to have sex, watch Netflix, get takeout and repeat.

Over the next couple of months, they maintain a long distance relationship through endless texts, phone calls, mid-week Skype chats and weekends together whenever they can and while it works, Steve starts to want more and he thinks Bucky does too but they're both too scared to talk about it. Steve is particularly down on his birthday; Bucky is in Connecticut with his sister and her family and had invited Steve to come with him but he already had plans with his mom and aunt. Bucky goes all out and has red, white and blue balloons, a red, white and blue cake, several bunches of red, white and blue flowers (Steve isn't sure how he managed that one) as well as the promised Captain America t-shirt. Bucky texts him a photo of himself wearing a matching tee that says I'm Banging Captain America on it. Steve laughs for ten whole minutes and texts back, _you sure as hell better not wear that out in public_. Bucky also gets him a new Blu-ray player and all of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. _We'll do a marathon next time I'm in NY. Miss you so much_ , his birthday card reads. Steve wishes more than anything that Bucky were with him.

Work is going well and Tony is able to hire a couple of new staff members and give everyone a small raise. Steve is enjoying himself but starts to think more and more about moving to Washington D.C. He keeps that to himself.

He gets home from work one Wednesday evening, excited for his mid-week Skype call with Bucky. They both decided to limit Skyping to make it a little more special and all Steve wants to do is see those bright blue eyes and shit-eating grin.

Steve's heart leaps as it always does when he answers the call and Bucky's face is smiling and happy on the other end. "Hi gorgeous," he says.

"Hi Buck," Steve answers and starts to laugh when Bucky shows him that he's wearing his I'm Banging Captain America t-shirt.

"God, I miss you," Steve sighs, slightly more maudlin that he'd meant to sound.

Bucky nods sadly and runs a hand through his hair. "I know. I'm sorry I haven't been able to free any weekends. Work has been a nightmare."

Steve shrugs. "It's not your fault." It's on the tip of his tongue to mention the possibility of him moving to D.C but he doesn't. "So what have you been up to?"

They talk for thirty minutes about work and small things and Steve feels a little better; nothing ever seems strained or uneasy with Bucky. They mesh well together.

"Oh, I meant to ask you something," Bucky says. "Do you know anyone who's looking for a roommate in New York?"

Steve thinks and shakes his head. "Not really but I could ask around. Why?"

Bucky shrugs and looks bored. "I'm going to need a place to stay if I'm moving to the city and it's so fucking expensive. I looked at some apartments in - "

"Wait, wait. What? _What_?"

Bucky's mouth starts to quirk up and he looks at Steve. "I'm moving to New York?"

Steve flounders for a moment. "I...what? Since when? Really? Please tell me you're not joking."

Bucky starts to laugh. "I swear I'm not joking. In two months time, I will be moving to New York. I didn't want to say anything just in case it didn't happen but I'll be working at Oscorp as an in-house consultant and I'll still be doing a ton of stuff for Red Room. Essentially I'll have two jobs, kind of, but yeah. I'll be living in New York." He smiles but Steve can see that he's nervous, waiting for his response.

"Steve?" Bucky asks when Steve still hasn't responded. "Are you - "

"I love you."

It's Bucky's turn to look surprised. "What?" he asks, sounding like he's just been winded.

"I love you." Steve looks directly into his laptop camera. "I'm so fucking in love with you and you'd better be moving in with me when you get here."

Bucky blinks. "You love me?"

"More than anything."

Bucky finally smiles and then laughs, his eyes flitting to his own laptop camera. "I love you too."

Steve leans forward and grins. "Yeah?"

Bucky nods. "More than anything."

"I'm glad we got that sorted. Now, utilities are included in the rent, cable is extra and the laundry room is in the - "

Bucky sits back and laughs loudly. "Oh my god, you're such a dick!"

Steve laughs too and when they both calm down, he looks earnestly at Bucky. "I love you. So much."

Bucky smiles. "I love you too."

"I wish I could kiss you right now," Steve says.

Bucky takes off his stupid t-shirt and then stands up, undoing his jeans and pulling them down, making a show on the camera.

"What are you doing?" Steve asks, already starting to get a little excited.

"We're going to have Skype sex. Take your clothes off."

"Uh..."

Bucky casually takes his boxers off and throws them off camera. He leans down and stares at Steve. "Rogers, we just told each other that we love each other. If I can't kiss you and make love to you right now, then the next best thing is both of us getting naked, talking dirty and jerking off. When I move to New York, I _promise_ that the first thing I'm going to do is take you into your bedroom and not let you leave for two days at least. Okay?"

Steve grins, his face a bright shade of red. "Okay."

Bucky grins back. "Good. Now take your damn clothes off."

***

Two months later, Bucky makes good on his promise.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been to the Ghostbusters firehouse. It's very cool.


End file.
